7th Circ. Says Overwhelming Evidence Backs Madigan Verdict

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit affirmed the conviction of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud charges on Monday, saying sufficient evidence supports the jury's finding and there was no prejudicial error in the lower court's jury instructions that warranted unwinding his 7.5-year prison sentence.

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OCC Moves To Block Illinois' Limits On Card Swipe Fees

By Jon Hill

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has moved to block Illinois from enforcing its landmark swipe-fee law against national banks, issuing emergency rules that open a new front in an ongoing battle over the state's effort to curb merchant payment-processing costs.

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Feds Fight Illinois' Bid To End Suit Over Immigrant Protections

By Celeste Bott

The federal government pushed back Friday on Illinois' bid to dismiss its challenge to two state laws allowing private parties to sue civil immigration officers and barring civil immigration arrests at courthouses, insisting it has standing to sue over its "sovereign injury" because the statutes unconstitutionally regulate the federal government's immigration enforcement.

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DOJ Says Wash. 340B Drug Law Is Preempted In Novartis Suit

By Ben Adlin

The U.S. Department of Justice waded into a dispute between pharmaceutical giants and the state of Washington on Monday, arguing that federal law preempts a new state law that expands discounts that drugmakers must provide under the federal 340B Drug Pricing Program.

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United CEO Touts Merger Benefits Despite American Rebuff

By Linda Chiem

United Airlines' chief executive pressed the merits of a mega airline merger Monday, while also confirming recent reports that he had approached American Airlines about exploring a potential combination, and that American shut the door on any such talks.

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House OKs Bill Letting CBP Share Counterfeit Shipment Data

By Ivan Moreno

The U.S. House passed a bill Monday that would allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to share detailed shipment information with brands, online marketplaces and logistics companies when agents suspect imports are counterfeit.

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AGs Say Live Nation Fix Can't Wait On DOJ Deal Approval

By Bryan Koenig

Live Nation Entertainment Inc. sparred with state attorneys general expected to seek a forced Ticketmaster sale after winning a New York federal jury antitrust verdict, with the company seeking to delay the breakup fight until after the judge reviews a separate U.S. Department of Justice settlement, and the enforcers preferring parallel proceedings.

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Health Plan Provider To Pay Up To $1.7M To End DOL Lawsuit

By Patrick Hoff

A health plan provider has agreed to pay up to $1.7 million to resolve a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit claiming it unlawfully mixed plan assets from unrelated employers and charged its clients excessive fees, according to a filing in Illinois federal court.

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Justices Won't Review Ex-DePaul Instructor's Race Bias Suit

By Patrick Hoff

The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to review the dismissal of a former DePaul University instructor's suit claiming he wasn't rehired because he's Arab American, despite his argument that the school's inconsistent explanations for letting him go meant his case should have gone to trial.

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Canada Provinces Back Hockey League's Antitrust Dismissal

By Matthew Perlman

The governments of four Canadian provinces have urged the Ninth Circuit to reject an appeal from junior hockey players accusing the National Hockey League and its developmental organizations of suppressing compensation.

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ABA Settles Scholarship Suit After Disavowing Racial Criteria

By Grace Elletson

The American Bar Association struck a deal to end a suit claiming a scholarship program for racial and ethnic minorities discriminated against white applicants, in line with a vow it made last year that its programs would be race-neutral, according to a filing Monday in Illinois federal court.

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2nd Trump Judicial Nominee Questioned Over Fla. State Case

By Courtney Bublé

For the second time in a year, a judicial nominee for a Florida federal court is under scrutiny for allegedly presiding over a state level case involving President Donald Trump while being considered for a federal judgeship.

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Reed Smith Targeted In Eletson Gas Ownership Fracas

By Caroline Simson

Reed Smith LLP and two of its partners are facing a $262 million lawsuit in a long-running and bitter dispute over ownership of an international gas shipping company, as well as other issues that remain unresolved following the vacatur of an underlying $102 million arbitral award for fraud.

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Alabama Justices Toss Case Over Atty's AI-Hallucinated Briefs

By Lauren Berg

The Alabama Supreme Court tossed an appeal and sanctioned a Mobile, Alabama, attorney for filing "grossly deficient" briefs that contained multiple inaccurate legal citations that the justices attributed to artificial intelligence "hallucinations."

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Justices Deny Ramey Appeal Of Sanctions In Google IP Case

By Ryan Davis

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to review $255,000 in sanctions on embattled attorney William Ramey and a client for bringing what a California judge said was a frivolous patent suit against Google, turning down his appeal arguing the decision used the wrong legal standard.

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Analysis

How A Rush To Trial Paid Off With A Rare FCPA Acquittal

By Phillip Bantz

A defense strategy to fast-track the trial in a yearslong criminal foreign bribery case against a Mexican businessman in Texas appeared to backfire when he was convicted and sent to prison last year, but the gamble ultimately paid off when a judge permanently tossed the case earlier this month.

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Toss Of Atty's LVMH Claim 'Problematic,' 2nd Circ. Judge Says

By Pete Brush

A Second Circuit judge said Monday that he is having a "hard time" understanding how the firing of a LVMH lawyer wasn't connected to her earlier harassment allegations, indicating a willingness to revive retaliation claims against the luxury goods giant.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court this past week tackled a fresh mix of deal litigation, procedural disputes and fiduciary duty claims, with several rulings and filings underscoring the court's continued focus on contractual precision, forum enforcement and the limits of stockholder challenges.

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